Andy Roddick backs Wimbledon contender to become 'one of the best players ever'
World number one Sinner was two sets down in his fourth-round match with Grigor Dimitrov when the Bulgarian was forced to retire through injury.
Sinner, 23, was widely praised for the way he reacted to Dimitrov's heartbreaking injury blow, immediately checking on his opponent and then helping him pack his tennis back and leave the court.
The three-time Grand Slam champion looked on course for a disappointing defeat as he failed to produce his best form on Centre Court while also struggling with an elbow injury.
But a fortuitous bye to the quarters means Sinner is just three wins away from his maiden Wimbledon title and the Italian faces American Ben Shelton next.
Sinner's unconvincing performance against Dimitrov would have raised Shelton's hopes of reaching a third Grand Slam semi-final but Roddick is still backing the world number one to progress.
'Even with Dimitrov exposing Sinner a little bit in that match it's still going to be tough for Shelton,' he said on his podcast Served. 'Two weeks ago I would have given Ben no chance, now he's got a puncher's chance.
'I can't say he's going to beat Jannik in three out of five sets in a Grand Slam yet. There's a lot of positives for Ben, I still think Sinner gets through but I've been so impressed the progress of Ben.
'Hopefully that injury to Sinner is just a bruise, it's clearly not a tear because he was still serving 130mph.
'I'm going with Sinner, I've been super pumped with Ben but I'm not going to let two bad sets erase a guy who's going to be one of the best of all time.
Quarter-finals
Taylor Fritz v Karen Khachanov
Cameron Norrie v Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner v Ben Shelton
Flavio Cobolli v Novak Djokovic
Semi-finals
Taylor Fritz v Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner v Novak Djokovic
Final
Carlos Alcaraz v Novak Djokovic
'He hasn't been serving great and is still missing some shots but he's still Sinner, the number one player in the world.'
Elsewhere on the men's side of the draw, three-time Wimbledon finalist Roddick expects two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to end British star Cameron Norrie's run.
Former US Open champion Roddick in fact expects Alcaraz to go all the way and beat Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
'I'm going with Novak in that quarter-final,' Roddick said ahead of the 38-year-old's quarter-final against Flavio Cobolli. 'I've still got Novak reaching the final.
'Taylor Fritz has looked really professional too. The guy plays a lot of tennis and his thing of playing a week before a slam is strange for a top player.
'I like him over Karen Khachanov. We often overlook Khachanov and he's been playing well, but I'm still backing Fritz. More Trending
'Props to Cam Norrie, he just knows how to get wins and knows the game. He's got a really high tennis IQ but I'm going to take Carlos Alcaraz there.
'I'm predicting Carlos vs Fritz semi on that side and I like Carlos just because he's Carlos, it's nothing against Taylor.
'The variety of Carlos can get Fritz moving and that's not his expertise. The variety could cause him some stress and there's no one on the planet right now that's capable of more variety than Alcaraz.
'I'm predicting a Carlos-Novak final – which I said at the start of the tournament actually – and I still have Alcaraz winning this tennis tournament.'
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Did 'ridiculous' Wimbledon decision cause player's heartbreaking injury?
MORE: Wimbledon favourite Aryna Sabalenka booed after angry outburst on Centre Court
MORE: Jamie Murray reveals how Wimbledon players really feel about 148-year change
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
30 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Jannik Sinner cancels practice session after having scan on elbow injury
Sinner reached the quarter-finals despite trailing 6-3 7-5 2-2 against the Bulgarian 19th seed, who had to retire after suffering an apparent pectoral injury. Jannik Sinner progressed after Grigor Dimitrov suffered an injury (Jordan Pettitt/PA) But Sinner, who needed a medical timeout during the second set, revealed afterwards he would need an MRI scan on his right elbow on Tuesday. He underwent the scan in the morning and a scheduled practice session at 4pm on Wimbledon's Aorangi Park was subsequently cancelled. There was no official update from Sinner's camp on Tuesday but his coach Darren Cahill reportedly told ESPN the Italian had a hit indoors for 20 to 30 minutes. 'It was quite an unfortunate fall,' he said on Monday night after his match. 'I checked the videos a little bit, and it didn't seem a tough one, but I still felt it quite a lot, especially on serve and forehand. Jannik Sinner spoke shortly after his match against Grigor Dimitrov (John Walton/PA) 'I could feel it. So let's see. Tomorrow we are going to check to see how it is, and then we see. 'Tomorrow we are going to check with MRI to see if there's something serious, and then we'll try to adjust it.' Sinner, a three-time grand slam champion, is due to play American 10th seed Ben Shelton in the second match on Court One on Wednesday afternoon.
Powys County Times
35 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Wimbledon diary: Sir Ian McKellen takes in the tennis and fans pack Henman Hill
Gandalf witnessed some Centre Court wizardry on day nine of Wimbledon. Actor Sir Ian McKellen, who starred as The Lord of the Rings character, watched Aryna Sabalenka battle back to reach the women's semi-finals before taking in Cameron Norrie's quarter-final defeat to defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz. The 86-year-old was joined in the Royal Box by fellow thespians Sir Mark Rylance, Sienna Miller, Jodie Foster and Richard E. Grant, singer Katherine Jenkins and coffee magnate Giuseppe Lavazza. Former cricketer David Gower was among those representing the world of sport, while Scotland and Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay and Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber enjoyed the action from less exclusive seats. *** American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova celebrated progression to the semi-finals with a special guest. The 23-year-old was accompanied by nephew Jaxon for her post-match interview on Court One following a 6-1 7-6 (9) win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Jaxon, who turns four on Thursday, only arrived in the UK on Tuesday morning. An early birthday present for Amanda's nephew, Jackson #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2025 After ensuring his long trip was worthwhile, Anisimova said: 'My sister and her husband are also here and I'm super grateful that they flew in and got to experience this with me – it doesn't happen often.' *** The tension on Centre Court during Sabalenka's match against Laura Siegemund was broken when a mobile phone began to ring. The usual accompanying tuts and moans from other spectators grew louder when it became apparent no one could turn off the annoying ring tone. One unfortunate spectator was rifling through her bag trying to find the offending item. But it turned out to have been left behind by someone else and they were trying to locate it remotely. The phone was eventually found under a seat and handed to a member of security. *** Henman Hill was rammed late on Tuesday afternoon. Fans were glued to the big screen, with the majority cheering on British number three Norrie in his efforts to pull of a major upset against world number two Alcaraz. Barely a spare blade of grass was available as other spectators queued to join them. Quote of the day 'I'm more for line umpires, to be honest. Sometimes it's scary to let machines do what they want, you know (smiling)?' – Russian 17th seed Karen Khachanov joined the growing list of players to question Wimbledon's electronic line calling system following a malfunction during his quarter-final loss to Taylor Fritz. Picture of the day Wednesday's match of the day Teenage Russian Mirra Andreeva has been one of the standout performers in the women's draw. The 18-year-old, who is coached by 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, is bidding to reach a second grand slam semi-final and has been given another Centre Court slot after shining in front of Roger Federer on Monday during her fourth-round defeat of Emma Navarro. Standing in her way is 2021 Olympic champion Belinda Bencic. The 28-year-old Swiss player is also enjoying her best run at SW19, having missed last year's tournament after giving birth to daughter Bella in April 2024. Wednesday weather watch
The Guardian
41 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Cameron Norrie's meek exit leaves Centre Court pining for the days of Murray
When this quarter-final was definitively wrapped up after only one hour and 39 minutes, the noise on Centre Court was a subdued mixture of applause and the odd whoop. The applause was polite, acknowledging a sporting contest had taken place, even if it had not been competitive. The whoops were a little performative. Britain's last remaining singles hope at these Championships, Cameron Norrie, had been outclassed by a purring Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. Alcaraz, the reigning men's champion, had whipped through the match, whipped forehand winner after forehand winner, and whipped his opponent into meek submission. It had been so tough for Norrie that he had felt the need to fist pump simply for holding points on his serve. This is where the whoops came in; the crowd's own attempt to find encouragement where it could. Quarter-finals with a British interest are far from a given at Wimbledon. The decade between 2008 and 2017, when Andy Murray never went home before the final eight, is a glaring anomaly in the men's game. Equally exceptional were the successes of Virginia Wade in the 1970s. This was only the fifth quarter-final to feature a home competitor in the past decade and the unspectacular Norrie, born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, is not someone who can easily be described as a fan favourite. So it was a big match, but not as big as it could have been and this perhaps was reflected around the showpiece court. Half empty as the match got under way, albeit with British theatrical titans Sir Ian McKellen, Mark Rylance and Richard E Grant in their seats throughout, the ground filled up but the atmosphere never took off. Were the crowd cheering for an underdog victory or applauding the effort of an emerging titan of the modern game? In the end it was a bit of both and neither. A raucous home crowd would probably have had no effect on the outcome of the match, unless it was to inspire Alcaraz to higher levels than those he deemed necessary to win. Even in the first game of the match, in which Norrie valiantly held serve, the No 2 seed pummelled the Briton with power and placement. One of Norrie's key strengths are on the defensive, with a tigerish ability to chase down angles and take the speed out of dangerous play. But it was clear from the off that these tools, effective in the tournament to this point and in his run to the semi-finals in 2022, were not going to work here. Alcaraz was typically considerate in his post-match remarks on court, declaring Norrie a 'really difficult' opponent. 'I am really happy,' the 22-year-old said. 'To be able to play another semi-final here at Wimbledon is really special. I want to go as far as I can and I am really happy with the level I played today against a really difficult player like Cam. He is an amazing guy. No one works harder than him and it is nice to see him fighting for great things.' Alcaraz was right, there was no doubting Norrie's work ethic, at least in the first two sets when the writing was only being daubed on the wall. But the limits of his ability against the top players was clear. This was more like a British Wimbledon encounter in the years pre-Murray, such was the imbalance on court, but this is 2025 and expectations have long been revised upwards. Jack Draper, the British No 1 and another player to have exited meekly from the tournament this year, wondered out loud 'How did Andy Murray do it?' after his second-round loss. This question will surely come into sharper focus by the time next year's Championship comes around. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion On the other hand, at least everyone got to see Alcaraz. The Spaniard does not yet have his supporter army, like the omnipresent and slightly unsettling Nole-fam that stand foursquare behind the 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic. But the 22-year-old does have the game to win the hearts of neutrals. Yes he has the 135mph aces, and the bludgeoning strokes from the back of the court that are the pre-requisites for success in the hard court age. But his love of the drop shot is something that is shared by Wimbledon aficionados too, and he also found time for some exquisite lobs in the few moments Norrie could be tempted into the net. His roar of celebration upon victory seemed pretty genuine too, and this crowd loves a fighter. Norrie will now try to take the momentum he has generated and turn it into a run at the US Open later this summer. For Alcaraz, it's the American Taylor Fritz in the semis and the ongoing shot at a threepeat. That match is scheduled for Friday, and in between Alcaraz plans to take in some sights. 'I will make the most of the time with my team and family in London,' he said, further endearing himself to the crowd. 'I might try to go to the city centre if I have time. What I have been doing so far has worked so we will try to switch off together.'
